Introduction To Veterinary Epidemiology

Are you studying a course in veterinary epidemiology? Do you need a book that explains epidemiology in an understandable way? Dirk Pfeiffer is Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College in London, UK. He has designed and taught international training courses in epidemiology all over the developed and developing world, from Australia to Vietnam. He currently provides scientific expertise to the European Food Safety Authority, the European Commission, DEFRA, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization and various national governments. He has over 20 year’s practical experience in the field and continues to work on some of the most high profile cases of global animal health. Dirk brings his wealth of knowledge to this concise introduction to the subject. This book covers all the core principles you need to know for your epidemiology course, including: The basic epidemiological concepts Understanding and designing epidemiological studies Measuring cause-effect relationships Statistical analysis and bias Sampling methodology Interpreting diagnostic tests The basic concepts of disease control and eradication The book will also be of use to animal health professionals who need an easy-to-understand introduction to the subject

Introduction to Veterinary Epidemiology provides the basics of veterinary epidemiology to the undergraduate and graduate students. The outline of the book follows the necessary steps involved in planning, conducting and analyzing an epidemiological study. These steps include establishing the objective and hypothesis, defining risk factors and outcome, selecting an appropriate study design, determining relevant measures of disease frequency, association and effect, sample size considerations, conducting the study, managing the data in databases and finally analyzing the data. The process takes off in the concepts and theories that form the basis of veterinary epidemiology and includes a solid introduction to data with respect to nature, management and analysis. The examples used to illustrate the different elements of data analysis are given in appendices as SAS code and R code to help getting started on the data analysis. This book is a collaboration between authors with solid backgrounds within veterinary, mathematical, statistical and computer sciences. They have years of experience in teaching at the undergraduate as well as graduate and postgraduate level. Each chapter has been reviewed by leading international veterinary epidemiologists. The programs and data sets can be downloaded from www.itve.dk

This successful book, now in its third edition, continues to provide a comprehensive introduction to the role of epidemiology in veterinary medicine. Since the publication of the second edition there has been considerable expansion in the application of veterinary epidemiology: more quantitative methods are available, challenges such as the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe in 2001 have required epidemiological investigation, and epidemiological analyses have taken on further importance with the emergence of evidence-based veterinary medicine. In this edition: Completely revised and expanded chapters; Increased attention given to the principles and concepts of epidemiology, surveillance, and diagnostic-test validation and performance; Many examples are drawn from both large and small animal medicine, and from the developing as well as the developed world This paperback edition includes a new section on risk analysis. Veterinary Epidemiology is an invaluable reference source for veterinary general practitioners, government veterinarians, agricultural economists and members of other disciplines interested in animal disease. It will also be essential reading for undergraduate and intermediate-level postgraduate students of epidemiology.

Intended as an introduction for veterinarians and other animal health professionals interested in and wishing to apply epidemiological methods in their day-to-day work, this book provides a practical guide for those new to the field. Its applied focus covers the principles of epidemiology in real world situations and practical implementation of disease outbreak investigation, for both emerging and endemic diseases. Techniques and methods are discussed, supported by case studies and practical examples to illustrate their application. The book is clearly written and accessible, providing readers with practical information and encouraging the development of problem-solving skills. It is an essential handbook for veterinary surgeons and students and those involved in animal health, food safety and epidemiology.

Basic principles. Epidemiologic concepts. Sampling methods. Measurement of disease frequency and production. Studying disease in animal populations. Descriptive epidemiology. Disease causation. Surveys and analytic observational studies. Design of field trials. Theoretical epidemiology: systems analysis and modeling. Animal health economics. Applied epidemiology. Rationale, strategies, and concepts of animal disease control. Monitoring disease and production. Field investigations.

A comprehensive introduction to the role of epidemiology in veterinary medicine This fully revised and expanded edition of Veterinary Epidemiology introduces readers to the field of veterinary epidemiology. The new edition also adds new chapters on the design of observational studies, validity in epidemiological studies, systematic reviews, and statistical modelling, to deliver more advanced material. This updated edition begins by offering an historical perspective on the development of veterinary medicine. It then addresses the full scope of epidemiology, with chapters covering causality, disease occurrence, determinants, disease patterns, disease ecology, and much more. Veterinary Epidemiology, Fourth Edition: ● Features updates of all chapters to provide a current resource on the subject of veterinary epidemiology ● Presents new chapters essential to the continued advancement of the field ● Includes examples from companion animal, livestock, and avian medicine, as well as aquatic animal diseases ● Focuses on the principles and concepts of epidemiology, surveillance, and diagnostic-test validation and performance ● Includes access to a companion website providing multiple choice questions Veterinary Epidemiology is an invaluable reference for veterinary general practitioners, government veterinarians, agricultural economists, and members of other disciplines interested in animal disease. It is also essential reading for epidemiology students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Banish your fears of statistical analysis using this clearly written and highly successful textbook. Statistics for Veterinary and Animal Science Third Edition is an introductory text which assumes no previous knowledge of statistics. It starts with very basic methodology and builds on it to encompass some of the more advanced techniques that are currently used. This book will enable you to handle numerical data and critically appraise the veterinary and animal science literature. Written in a non-mathematical way, the emphasis is on understanding the underlying concepts and correctly interpreting computer output, and not on working through mathematical formulae. Key features: Flow charts are provided to enable you to choose the correct statistical analyses in different situations Numerous real worked examples are included to help you master the procedures Two statistical packages, SPSS and Stata, are used to analyse data to familiarise you with typical computer output The data sets from the examples in the book are available as electronic files to download from the book’s companion website in ASCII, Excel, SPSS, Stata and R Workspace formats, allowing you to practice using your own software and fully get to grips with the techniques A clear indication is provided of the more advanced or obscure topics so that, if desired, you can skip them without loss of continuity. New to this edition: New chapter on reporting guidelines relevant to veterinary medicine as a ready reference for those wanting to follow best practice in planning and writing up research New chapter on critical appraisal of randomized controlled trials and observational studies in the published literature: a template is provided which is used to critically appraise two papers New chapter introducing specialist topics: ethical issues of animal investigations, spatial statistics, veterinary surveillance, and statistics in molecular and quantitative genetics Expanded glossaries of notation and terms Additional exercises and further explanations added throughout to make the book more comprehensive. Carrying out statistical procedures and interpreting the results is an integral part of veterinary and animal science. This is the only book on statistics that is specifically written for veterinary science and animal science students, researchers and practitioners.

Ideal for veterinary students, residents and clinicians, the fourth edition of this bestselling textbook has been fully updated in line with developments in research and teaching. The logical chapter progression reflects the stages in a clinical case work-up and how epidemiological concepts and methods contribute. This new edition provides guidelines for improving patient and population health outcomes, and detecting emerging diseases through systematic evaluation of patient encounters and electronic medical records incorporates new methodologies and concepts drawn from the recent veterinary practice literature updates chapter content including expanded coverage of risk, statistical and economic analyses, and surveillance for emerging diseases more than 60 examples of clinical research drawn from the international veterinary practice literature presented as structured abstracts; follow-up questions invite the reader to participate in the analysis of results online links to full text versions of more than half of structured abstracts and more than 40% of the book’s 174 literature citations updates the listing and review of public and private online resources, including guidelines for online literature searching and critical evaluation of clinical reports. Today’s veterinary curricula places greater emphasis on experiential/problem-based learning versus discipline-oriented instruction. This fourth edition is ideally suited to introduce epidemiologic concepts and methodologies to veterinary students in the context of the patient encounter, and should be of use at any point in the veterinary curriculum.